In 1975 Monty Python released their first feature film featuring an original story, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It features a scene that finds Arthur come across the Black Knight in the woods where they engage in battle. After cutting off his right arm, the Black Knight utters the classic line “Tis but a scratch”, as Arthur goes about cutting off all his limbs, with the Black Knight insistent that he’s more than capable to continue the fight.

It is a scene that could well have inspired this film, which features a protagonist who feels no pain.

Working in a bank in San Diego is Nate (Jack Quaid). He’s the assistant manager, so has a fair amount of responsibility, but he tries to be fair, especially with his customers.

He’s taken a shine to Sherry (Amber Midthunder), who also works at the bank, and he’s starting to get the impression that she might like him too.

They go on a date and Nate has a confession; he can’t really eat solid food as he has a peculiar condition – congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), which means that if he eats solid food, he could bite his tongue and bite right through it, as he cannot feel pain. But it’s not just in his head that he can’t feel pain, it’s all over his body.

The next day, and its Christmas Eve at the bank, when a gang of Santas walk in. It turns out they’re there to rob the bank, which they do, but they take a hostage with them – Sherry.

Nate is no hero in real life, but when his new found love is taken from him so quickly, he takes it on himself to hunt the robbers down and rescue her. He may not feel pain, but there’s only so much punishment his body can take, and he’s facing a whole world of it.

There are a lot of duo directors out there at the moment, with most of them admittedly brothers, but Dan Berk and Robert Olsen may not be names you’re familiar with. This is their fifth feature together, which has certainly made an impact, mainly down to the premise of the film, which is a real doozy.

It is absolutely ridiculous, but it knows it. The condition CIPA is surprisingly real, but you get the sense that it’s abused quite heavily here. Thankfully the film has a comedic approach which is admittedly fun, but there’s no denying the premised is stretched; Python knew this, which is why the Black Knight is only on screen for three minutes, and the film struggles to maintain the plot for its entirety, especially towards the end where it clearly runs out of steam and gets just a bit too silly.

Still, Quaid makes an appealing leading man, especially on the back of all his good work in the hugely entertaining The Boys on Amazon Prime.

His relationship with Midthunder is endearing, making a cute on screen couple, which is just enough to get it over the line.

It’s almost an example of the film’s high concept being more entertaining than its actual execution, but the duo’s playful, knowing wink to the audience direction is enough to numb the idiocy of it all.